Significant research has been done on the effects of surface microtextures on cell behavior and how to use them to selectively stimulate cells. For example, Mata et al. (2002, Biomed. Microdev. 4:267; Mata et al., 2002, J. Biomed. Mat. Res. 62:499) describes the creation of smooth and channel micro-textures of polymethylsiloxane as substrates for growth of connective tissue progenitor cells for bone repair. Synthetic scaffolds have also been engineered to mimic the topography exhibited by extracellular matrix components for use as a potential substrate for cell growth and proliferation (Hosseinkhani et al., 2006, T. Bio. Comp. Poly. 21:277). Likewise, recent work on cell growth characteristics was performed on the surface of diacetylene peptide amphiphile hydrogels (Biesalski et al., 2006, Biomat. 27:1259). However, microtexture structures of self-assembling materials or peptide amphiphiles is not present in the literature (von Recum et al., 1996, Tissue Eng. 2:241; Curtis and Wilkinson, 1998, Biomaterials 18:1573; Xia and Whitesides, 1998, Ann. Rev. Mat. Sci. 28:153).
As such, what are needed are compositions and methods for providing tools for medicine and research, such that future work in the treatment of trauma, disease and genetic defects and drug discovery can be realized.